My name is ARIELA BARANOV, and I'm a graphic designer.

I have over a decade of experience with various forms of art and graphics, much of which is self taught, which means I'm familiar with both mainstream techniques as well as "unconventional" tweaks and shortcuts. I've worked extensively with a wide variety of art types, including studio painting, drawing (freestyle and portraiture), sculpture, digital images, flash animation, website design, beadwork & jewelry design, sewing, and digital & SLR photography.

My academic schooling and "official" studio training were received from Macaulay Honors College via CUNY Brooklyn College, culminating in a B.A. in Fine Arts. Subsequently I enrolled in NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies to hone my Photoshop and graphics skills, and I'm currently in the process of applying to grad school for a Masters in Web and Multimedia Design. I'm also a member of NAPP and the Graphic Artists Guild.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who designed this site?
I did. It's a custom mockup of the Photoshop CS4 user interface. I did web design for about 10 years, but since then I've decided to focus less on coding and more on graphics. I still do freelance websites on occassion, but I'm picky about the clients I prefer to work with. The original reason I stopped is because my coding skills are several years behind, but that's what I'm aiming to fix by going to grad school.

So what do you do exactly?
Graphic and print design is the bulk of what I do in my freelancing. Retouching is more of a hobby that I would like to expand on professionally, but the design aspect is what I have the majority of my experience in (and what I can produce the most references for).

Why did you branch off with retouching and restoration?
Retouching allows me to exercise my talent in taking things that exist and making them better, with the added bonus of immediate visual gratification. I also believe it's important to preserve the past, and photo restoration is my way of doing that.

What programs do you use the most?
Adobe Photoshop CS5.5 Extended, but I switch to Illustrator for more vector-heavy work. I also work with Flash on occassion.

Can I commission you to work on a graphic project, or retouch one of my photos?
Sure. Send me an email about the design work, and you can visit Baranov Studio to see full instructions for photo submission.